Comparing Floor Cleaner

I keep trying to think of things I can discuss this week, and have been coming up empty handed. And then I thought of all the money that is wasted on things that contain toxic chemicals, irritants, fumes, and manufactured/processed garbage. So, why don’t we talk about the benefits of making your own health products, cleaning supplies, and more. I’m going to use some averaging from my local stores to get the prices I list below. I’m going to use an affordable bottle of lemon essential oil at retail price as an example, which you can find here: https://www.youngliving.com/en_US/products/lemon-essential-oil

Lemon has many benefits. It’s energizing, fresh, cleansing, aromatic as well as antiseptic and anti-inflammatory to mention a few. A 15ml of cold pressed lemon essential oil costs approximately $15.00 for quality, all natural, organic oil. If you used this 15ml bottle to make floor and surface cleaner for tile, hardwood, linoleum, ceramic, laminates, etc., your cost would be the following:

10 drops lemon per batch = 0.5ml per batch = (30) batches of cleaner you can make

1 cup of vinegar per batch = 30 cups = 240 oz. = (3.75) 64 oz. jugs of distilled white vinegar for 30 batches

1 Tbsp. of castile soap per batch = 30 Tbsp. = 1.875 cups = (1) 16 oz. bottle of castile soap for 30 batches

1 gallon of water per batch = 30 gallons of water foe each batch = an average of $.01 countrywide

The total cost:

$15 – 15ml lemon oil

$8 – 64oz. jug of vinegar

$13 – 16oz bottle castile soap

$0.30 – 30 gallons Tap water

TOTAL COST TO MAKE 30 batches of all-purpose surface cleaner: Roughly $37.00 not including tax.

Now let’s compare that to the total cost of buying the average name brand cleaner you’d find on the shelf at any store. I checked my local Target and the average cleaners that you must dilute with water is approximately $5.00 for a 24oz. bottle before tax. Your area’s cost might be slightly higher so this is just an estimate. You must use on average ¼ of a cup of the product, per gallon of water. So …

¼ cup to each batch = 7.5 cups = 60 ounces. You would need to buy 3 bottles of the product. If you are lucky to find a 64 oz. bottle of the product, hooray! If not, it could cost you around $15.00 before tax. After tax, the item might be closer to $16.00. If you buy an advertised “organic” or “all-natural” cleaner, your cost might be closer to $25.00.

Now you might be thinking … well, that’s less. TRUE. You might be thinking … well, that costs me only one hour, or one half hour of work. Also true.

BUT … with your own product making you are getting rid of 100% additives, toxic fumes/chemicals., etc. You are taking control of what is in your home, what is on your floors, what you are smelling and breathing, and ultimately what you are cleaning with. NOTHING is hidden from you. You are also gaining exercise. You need to vigorously mix the ingredients, whereas when you use a manufactured product you are not using so much energy to mix. You are harkening back to the day when this is what humans did – make their OWN everything. Food, cleaners, clothing, health products, etc.

It ultimately comes down to wellness and money. Do you want to sacrifice quality over quantity? Do you want to take risks? Do you want to be responsible and environmentally conscious? Do you want to save yourself from wasting money on things that ultimately have no greater benefit?

There are a few things I love to save money on, and shopping is always one of them. However, when it comes to things like food … you don’t want to buy the discounted dented jar of olives. It could have botulism. I will not buy things to eat and clean with that I don’t love. And let me tell you I don’t love the over the counter products you get at every grocery and mass discount store. I felt for years that it was “good enough.” Or, “I don’t have time or money to spend on anything better.”

Get rid of these notions. At the end of the day, I feel much healthier and secure knowing that I cleaned my floors well and didn’t risk my dogs licking any of the products up. I feel good knowing that the fumes aren’t potentially unhealthy. I feel solid in understanding how health and wellness can be achieved through making my own cleaner.

Besides …. I’d rather spend $40 on cleaning my house right and staying well than eating out at fast food twice. It’s money better spent.